88425 - LABORATORIO DI METODI E TECNICHE PER L'ANALISI QUALITATIVA

Academic Year 2018/2019

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Sociology and Social Work (cod. 8786)

    Also valid for Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Local and Global Development (cod. 9200)

Learning outcomes

This laboratory introduces the epistemological and methodological premises of qualitative research and presents the methods and techniques for gathering, analyzing, writing-up, and using qualitative data. Specifically, it delves into ethnographies and case studies, and the qualitative methods used in social science research, focusing primarily on observations and interviews. During the laboratory coding techniques for turning field data into field notes, how to write ethnographic reports, how to build grounded theories, and how to prepare project proposals will also be discussed.

Course contents

  1. Ontology, epistemology, and methodology of qualitative studies
  2. Main types of qualitative studies
    1. Ethnography
    2. Case study
    3. Interview-based study
  3. Data collection techniques
    1. Observations
    2. Ethnographic interviews
    3. Archival data
  4. Data analysis techniques
    1. Open, axial, and selective coding
    2. Gioia methodology
  5. Using software to code data
  6. How to build a grounded theory
  7. Mixed methods
    1. Quali-quantitative studies
    2. Quanti-qualitative studies

Readings/Bibliography

The required textbook is:

A. Strauss e J. Corbin (1998). Basics of qualitative research. 2ndedition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Or alternatively:

D. Macri and M.R. Tagliaventi (2000). La ricerca qualitativa nelle organizzazioni. Teorie, tecniche, casi. Roma:Carocci (chapters 1, 2, 3)

Optional readings

Fontana A. and Frey J. H. (2003) The interview: from structured questions to negotiated text. In N. Denzin e Y.S. Lincoln (eds.), Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Pp. 61-106.

Gibbs G. R. (2013) Using software in Qualitative Analysis in Flick u. (Ed.) The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks (CA), 277-293.

Gioia, D. A., Corley, K. G., & Hamilton, A. L. (2013) Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive Research Notes on the Gioia Methodology. Organizational Research Methods, 16(1), 15–31.

Guba E. G. and Lincoln, Y. S. (2005) Competing paradigms in qualitative research? In Denzin, Y. S. and Lincoln, N. K. (Eds. ) Handbook of Qualitative Research, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 105-117.

Lofland J. and Lofland L. H. (1995) Analyzing Social Settings: A Guide to Qualitative Observation and Analysis, Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Companies, chapters 3-5.

Spradley, James P. (1979) The Ethnographic Interview. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Part two, Steps One to Eleven (pp. 45-203).

Van Maanen, J., Sorensen J. B., and Mitchell, T. R. (2007) The interplay between theory and method, Academy of Management Review, 32 (4): 1145-1154

Additional material can be made available on https://iol.unibo.it/.

Teaching methods

The course aims to offer students effective tools to carry out qualitative studies. Consequently, students will be asked to collect qualitative data (i.e., to perform observations and interviews), transform them into field notes, and code qualitative field notes following a grounded theory approach. Experimenting with what it takes to design and conduct interviews and observe people in social settings will prompt reflections on qualitative research practice. Additionally, how to use the grounded theory approach in order to make sense of data will be center stage in the course.

Specifically, students will conduct a one-hour observation of a private or public setting of their choice. In addition, they will design the protocol for a semi-structured interview on a topic that they select based on their own interests, and then conduct the interview. They will be asked to transcribe both observation and interview.

Subsequently, they will be asked to code the interview following the so-called ‘Gioia methodology’. Throughout class meetings, we will practice with data collection and coding techniques in an interactive way.

Finally, in order to test the overall comprehension of qualitative methods, students are required to form groups made up of minimum 2- maximum 3 members and write a short project proposal (no longer than ten pages, 12 pt. Times New Roman, one-inch margin, double space) for a qualitative study on a topic that appeals to them. The project proposal should suggest why the study addresses a relevant topic, formulate convincing research questions, and detail how a qualitative study design can properly answer them. Although groups are not expected to actually collect data or perform any analyses, the project proposal is meant to develop skills about writing a project draft, selecting the type of data to be searched, the data gathering methods to be employed, and the type of analysis to be conducted.

Assessment methods

The final grade will be based upon the following weights attributed to the assignments detailed above:

  1. Transcription of one-hour observation (20%)
  2. Elaboration of an interview protocol and transcription of the interview (20%)
  3. Interview coding (20%)
  4. Project proposal (40%): the same evaluation is given to all group members

Teaching tools

The course requires the following activities and outcomes:

  1. The transcription of a one-hour observation
  2. The elaboration of an interview protocol
  3. The transcription of an interview
  4. The coding of the interview
  5. A group project proposal

All the outcomes have to be sent by email, detailing student’s first name, family name, and Unibo ID number, to the following account: sde.progettisociologia@unibo.it

Registering dates and all information about the course will be communicated only via distribution list (maria.tagliaventi.SOCIOLOGIAMetodiQualitativi1819) availableon https://www.dsa.unibo.it [https://www.dsa.unibo.it/].The password for the subscription to the list will be shared in class.

Office hours

See the website of Maria Rita Tagliaventi